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Category: Foreign

  • Commercial market for women opens in Afghanistan’s Bamiyan

    Commercial market for women opens in Afghanistan’s Bamiyan

    Market

    Kabul, June 11, 2024 (Xinhua/NAN) A commercial market was opened for women to run their businesses in Afghanistan’s central Bamiyan province, state-run media outlet Bakhtar news agency reported on Tuesday.

    The market opened in the Family Park region of Bamiyan City, the provincial capital of the province, and has facilitated women to sell their products in 18 shops, the media reported.

    According to news agency report, women can exhibit their products to include  handicrafts, minatory arts, carpets and other crafts in this market.

    Commercial markets for women have been opened in several provinces of Afghanistan, including Herat, Balkh, Badakhshan, and the national capital of Kabul. (Xinhua/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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    Edited by Cecilia Odey and Halima Sheji

     

  • Myanmar to export 1.89m tonnes of pulses

    Myanmar to export 1.89m  tonnes of pulses

    Export

    Yangon, June 11, 2024 (Xinhua/NAN) Myanmar has said on Tuesday that it has a target to export 1.89 million tonnes of pulses in the current 2024 to 2025 fiscal year starting in April.

    Pulses, also known as grain legumes, are a group of 12 crops that includes dry beans, dry peas, chickpeas, and lentils. They are high in protein, fibre, and various vitamins, provide amino acids, and are hearty crops.

    The official daily The Global New Light of Myanmar reported on Tuesday.

    The country’s Ministry of Commerce was working with the Myanmar Pulses, Beans, Maize and Sesame Seeds Merchants Association to meet export targets, the report said.

    In addition Myanmar, domestic consumption accounted for 20 per cent of the country’s pulses production, while 80 per cent is exported, he said.

    From the start of the current fiscal year until May 31, Myanmar earned 412 million U.S. dollars from exporting over 470,000 tonnes of pulses, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

    Moreover In the previous fiscal year 2023 to 2024, Myanmar earned 1.48 billion dollars from exporting 1.7 million tonnes of pulses, according to the Ministry of Commerce. (Xinhua/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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    Edited by Cecilia Odey/Ekemini Ladejobi

     

  • Malawi’s vice president confirmed dead in plane crash

    Crash

    Lilongwe, June 11, 2024 (Xinhua/NAN) Vice President of Malawi Saulos Chilima and nine other individuals on board a military aircraft have been confirmed dead, President Lazarus Chakwera said Tuesday.

    “I am deeply saddened and sorry to inform you all that it has turned out to be a terrible tragedy.

    The search and rescue team found the aircraft near a hill in the Chikangawa Forest. They found it completely destroyed, with no survivors, as all passengers on board were killed on impact,” Chakwera said in a televised address.

    Chilima was “a good man, a devoted father and husband, a patriotic citizen who served his country with distinction,” he added.

    The vice president was traveling  to the  funeral of the country’s former Attorney General and Minister of Justice Ralph Kasambara, who was found dead at a lodge in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, on Friday.

    His body was buried on Monday at his home village in Nkhata Bay, a few kilometers from Mzuzu Airport.

    The aircraft, a Donier 228 belonging to the Malawi Defence Force, failed to make its scheduled landing at Mzuzu Airport at 10:02 a.m. (0802 GMT) Monday in northern Malawi, according to the country’s Secretary to the President and Cabinet Colleen Zamba.

    The aircraft returned due to bad weather, heading to Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe before it went off the radar.

    A search and rescue operation was launched by security agencies in the afternoon around the Chikangawa Forest where it was believed to have been lost.(Xinhua/NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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    Edited by Halima Sheji

     

  • German police launch raids against far-right Reich Citizens scene

    German police launch raids against far-right Reich Citizens scene

    Launch

    Hanover (Germany), June 11, 2024 (dpa/NAN) German police carried out further raids on Tuesday morning targeting the far-right Reich Citizens movement, with suspects allegedly linked to a previously uncovered plot to overthrow the German government.

    Several large criminal trials against 26 alleged extremists who plotted to violently overthrow the German government are currently underway in Germany.

    The plotters allegedly hoped to install a self-styled aristocrat, Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss, as leader.

    On Tuesday, police launched raids on numerous locations in two different German states.

    A spokesman for the public prosecutor’s office in the city of Celle, located near Hanover, told dpa that the searches were ongoing. (dpa/ NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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    Edited by Cecilia Odey and Abiemwense Moru

     

  • Hajj: Senate conducts assessment of pilgrims’ lodging, feeding arrangement in Madinah

    Assessment

    By Salisu Sani-Idris

    Madinah (Saudi Arabia), June 11, 2024 (NAN) The Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs on Tuesday conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the Nigerian pilgrims’ lodging and feeding arrangements in Madinah, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the committee led by the Senate Chief Whip, Sen. Ali Ndume (APC-Borno South) visited many pilgrims’ abodes to see how they were being served food.

    Briefing newsmen after the assessment tour, Ndume said the Senate decided to conduct the exercise out of concern over the alleged poor feeding of Nigerian pilgrims in the holy city.

    According to him, social media has been awash with fake pictures of poor meals being served to Nigerian pilgrims in Saudi.

    “And the Senate as an institution is concerned about the welfare and well-being of citizens decided to come and investigate the matter to ascertain the truth or falsity of the situation.”

    Sen. Senator Sharafadeen Alli (APC-Oyo South) advised Nigerian pilgrims to be well-guided, follow instructions, and ensure they worshipped Allah wholeheartedly during the pilgrimage.

    Alli also advised the pilgrims not to be distracted by earthly things during the pilgrimage.

    “We thought that since we are here, it would be nice to visit the pilgrims.

    “Secondly, there were rumours before we left home (Nigeria) about the situation of the pilgrims here.

    “So, it is right that we are here; it is better to come out and conduct an on-the-spot assessment of the situation. What we have seen so far is contrary to the things trumped up at home.

    “About the welfare of the pilgrims: I think the pilgrims are well-taken care of, and as far as their feeding is concerned we have seen the food, it is basic and not below any standard.

    “Then on the issue of the woman (a pilgrim from Kwara State) who was rumored to have committed suicide, I would say that from the video footage and information that we have here, it’s clear that she fell off the top of a building; it wasn’t a matter of suicide.

    “It was an unfortunate incident and whatever Allah wills there is nothing a human being can do”

    This is coming after the media in Nigeria reported at the weekend that a Nigerian pilgrim from the Kwara State contingent, Hajia Hawawu Mohammed, committed suicide having jumped from her rooftop in Madinah.

    The sad incident was confirmed by the Executive Secretary of the Kwara State Pilgrims Welfare Board, Abdulsalam Abdulkadir, on Sunday.

    Meanwhile, Prof. Abubakar Yagawal, the Commissioner, Planning, Research, Statistics, Information, and Library Services, at the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), said the commission’s team is working tirelessly to meet the needs of the pilgrims.

    “We thank Allah that the team of Senators came here and witnessed what is happening and they are satisfied with whatever it has seen here.

    “Of course, some rumours that they heard were against Nigerian pilgrims but to God be the glory they have seen it and they have cleared everything.” (NAN)

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    (Edited by Emmanuel Yashim)

  • German president welcomes Zelensky to Berlin

    German president welcomes Zelensky to Berlin

    Zelensky

    Berlin, June 11, 2024 (dpa/NAN) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was welcomed in Berlin by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Tuesday, ahead of an international conference on recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine.

    Steinmeier received Zelensky at his official residence, the Bellevue Palace in the capital.

    He planned to accompany Zelensky to the official opening of the conference and attend Zelensky’s speech to the German parliament on Tuesday afternoon.

    Relations between the two presidents were initially strained, after Zelensky told Steinmeier in April 2022.

    He was not welcome to join colleagues from Poland and the Baltic states for a planned trip to Kiev.

    At the time, Zelensky accused Steinmeier of taking a soft stance toward Russian President Vladimir Putin in his previous political positions.

    The two have seemingly patched up relations since, however, and Steinmeier later visited Ukraine. (dpa/NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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    Edited by Cecilia Odey/Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu

     

  • Army retrieves four bodies from Mount Everest

    Retrieval

    Kathmandu, June 11, 2024 (dpa/NAN) Nepalese soldiers have retrieved four bodies and a skeleton from Mount Everest and the neighbouring peaks of Lhotse and Nuptse during a cleaning operation.

    The recruits collected 11 tons of rubbish since April, according to the army.

    Mount Everest At 8,849 metres, is the highest mountain in the world.

    It has also gained the sad notoriety of being the world’s highest rubbish dump.

    Tonnes of broken tents and clothing, food packaging, cookers, empty water bottles, beer cans and oxygen bottles lie there, left behind by thousands of adventurers.

    There is also a lot of human waste and dozens of corpses, some of which mountaineers even use as trail markers.

    When people die on the mountain, they are often left behind.

    This is because recovering a frozen corpse is difficult and expensive it costs between 30,000 euros to 60,000 euros (32,000 dollars to 64,500 dollars).

    This is according to U.S. mountaineer and blogger Alan Arnette.

    In most cases, a team of six to 10 experienced Sherpas with oxygen cylinders were deployed and a helicopter flies the body off the mountain.

    However, some families also left their deceased loved ones there because they loved the mountain so much. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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    Edited by Cecilia Odey/Dianabasi Effiong

  • Scholz urges more air defence for Ukraine at Berlin conference

    Scholz urges more air defence for Ukraine at Berlin conference
    Defence
    Berlin, June 11, 2024 (dpa/NAN) German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for the further strengthening of Ukraine’s air defence against Russian attacks.
    Scholz made the call at the start of an international reconstruction conference for Ukraine which is being held in the German capital of Berlin..
    He called on allies to support a German initiative to bolster Ukraine’s air defences “with everything possible.”
    “Because the best reconstruction is the one that doesn’t have to happen in the first place,” Scholz said.
    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is also attending.
    Scholz held out the prospect of far-reaching and long-term commitments for reconstruction in the country, which has been severely scarred by more than two years of costly all-out war and years of simmering conflict before that.
    Scholz said he would push for those kinds of commitments at an upcoming summit of the G7 group of wealthy democratic countries, which begins in Italy on Thursday.
    The chancellor pointed out that the World Bank estimates that 500 billion dollars in reconstruction aid will be needed over the next decade.
    He also called on private companies to participate in investments: “Given the scale we are talking about here, private capital must be added.”
    Hundreds of German companies continue to do active business in Ukraine, with automotive firms alone employing about 35,000 people in Ukraine, Scholz emphasised.
    Inspite of the war, there was no reduction in German investment in Ukraine, Scholz said, and the volume of trade had increased significantly since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
    “All of this shows me that the business sector understands the potential Ukraine has,” Scholz said. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
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    (Edited by Ummul Idris/Emmanuel Yashim)

  • Women who value equality with men may qualify as refugees

    Women who value equality with men may qualify as refugees

    Equality

    Brussels, June 11, 2024 (dpa/NAN) Female asylum seekers who believe in equality between the sexes may qualify as refugees if that becomes a “motive for persecution” in their home country, the European Union’s top court ruled on Tuesday.

    Nevertheless, the case concerned two teenage Iraqi girls whose initial applications for asylum in the Netherlands were rejected.

    They then applied again, arguing that they had adopted Western customs during their long stay in the country.

    Their applications were rejected again, so they went to court.

    The EU Court of Justice ruled Tuesday that women and girls who “identify with the fundamental value of equality between women and men’’.

    This may qualify them for refugee status if the conditions in their home country make that a motive for persecution.

    The court also said a long stay in a member state, especially when it coincided with a period during which an applicant minor has forged his or her identity.

    This has to be mindful when determining whether they’re at risk of persecution for adopting Western values.

    The judges added that where an asylum-seeker is a minor, EU countries have to “determine concretely the best interests for that minor as part of an individual assessment.’’

    As the Court of Justice is the EU’s highest court, the judgment is final and cannot be appealed. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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    (Edited by Cecilia Odey/Emmanuel Yashim)

  • Israeli forces kill 4 Hamas militants in West Bank

    Israeli forces kill 4 Hamas militants in West Bank

    Militants

    Ramallah/Tel Aviv, June 11, 2024 (dpa/NAN) Four members of the armed wing of the Islamist Palestinian organisation Hamas have been killed in an Israeli military operation in the West Bank.

    The army said on Tuesday that Israeli security forces had entered a town near Ramallah on Monday evening, to arrest a suspect following an attempted attack.

    When the troops approached the building in which the suspect and three other Hamas members were hiding, they tried to flee in a vehicle.

    They then tried to drive towards the soldiers, according to the Israeli account.

    The soldiers then opened fire on them.

    A rifle and explosive devices were found in the vehicle.

    Hamas media reported that the four people killed were members of al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing.

    The situation in the occupied West Bank has worsened significantly since the war between Israel and the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip began on Oct. 7.

    According to the local Health Ministry, 516 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed in Israeli attacks.

    This included clashes on their own attacks since then.(dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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    Edited by Cecilia Odey and Abiemwense Moru